CHARLES N’Zogbia could miss Villa’s testing trip to Arsenal tomorrow – but the winger’s possible absence at the Emirates is because of injury rather than insult.

CHARLES N’Zogbia could miss Villa’s testing trip to Arsenal tomorrow – but the winger’s possible absence at the Emirates is because of injury rather than insult.

N’Zogbia made headlines for the wrong reasons earlier this week when he claimed he had been misquoted in a French newspaper interview in which he appeared to criticise manager Alex McLeish.

Villa’s boss insists he has no problem with N’Zogbia as long as he performs on the pitch – but revealed the £9.5 million signing is struggling with a knee ligament problem.

“I hope he is all right, but he picked up a little knock in training yesterday morning,” revealed McLeish.

“Charles had a clash of knees with one of the other players and he’s tweaked his ligament. Hopefully it will settle down before tomorrow.

“As I said, if there has been a problem with me and any player we follow club rules then the next day it is forgotten about and that is the way we go on.

“The journalist guy sucked him in a wee bit and he was obviously trying to get him to be negative and critical and there was a little bit of spin as well, artistic license.

“Players are young. I’ve said a few things myself in my career when I was a player and Sir Alex (Ferguson) had to remind me how to handle it.” Tensions between McLeish and N’Zogbia first appeared when the manager’s biggest Villa signing failed to turn up for a medical appointment and was fined and dropped for the early December defeat to Manchester United.

N’Zogbia then reacted badly to comments from McLeish after the win at Bolton the following weekend, saying players should focus on winning rather than material goods in response to a question about the wideman.

The Villa boss now admits he too would have loved to flash the cash as a player, but emphasised that N’Zogbia doesn’t live in a ‘Dallas-style house’ and only drives a modest BMW.

“Listen, I’m quite a laid-back manager, if the players are doing it for me on the pitch, then it’s not a problem, they will get in the side, it’s as simple as that,” said McLeish. “But I was supposed to have said something about Charles spending money on fast cars. In fact, I’ve seen Charles N’Zogbia’s car and it is an ordinary BMW and I believe his house isn’t of the Dallas proportions.

“I’m like Charles, definitely. If I had the money in my day that these guys are earning, I’d have had fast cars because I love fast cars.”

McLeish reckons N’Zogbia should set his sights on a late surge into the France Euro 2012 squad.

“He’s been on every standby list for the past six internationals or as far back as I can remember. He’s not quite made the final selection, but he’s obviously in the manager’s thoughts.

“So two or three goals from Charles or two or three crosses or passes into the box... and the end product, if it sticks out, then I’m sure the French manager might need somebody like that for the tournament.

“If the players can get the chance to play for their country in one of the major tournaments then it’s one of the pinnacles of your career.”